Pro-Palestine protesters have accused UEFA of having “blood on their hands” as they called for Israel to be kicked out of football at a Euros launch event.
UEFA officially launched the 2028 Euros in Piccadilly Circus as dozens of protesters stood outside demanding the footballing body as part of a demonstration organised by the Game Over Israel campaign on Wednesday.
The demonstration comes after Israeli fans were banned from watching Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Europa League fixture against Aston Villa last week, where around 200 protesters gathered outside the stadium calling for a boycott of Israel.
Around 60 protesters in Piccadilly Circus shouted “blood on your hands,” “shame on you” and “kick Israel out of football” as the Euros event got underway.
Meanwhile, signs were held up saying “show Israel the red card” and “offside for genocide”.
Guests struggled to hear presentations during the event over the chants against Israel’s continued membership in UEFA.
Ashish Prashar, Former Advisor to the Middle East Peace Envoy and Campaign Director for Game Over Israel, told the Standard: “There should be no normalisation in abnormal times of genocide.
“Football is the people’s game and Israel doesn’t belong in it as it commits crimes against humanity and we’ll keep sending that messsge to UEFA every single day until Israel is suspended.”
The protest comes after a letter was delivered to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin on Tuesday, which included more than 70 sports professionals, calling for the governing body to sever ties with the Israel Football Association (IFA).
The UEFA #EURO2028 brand was revealed to fans in spectacular fashion earlier this evening at exactly 20.28 on the giant Piccadilly Lights screens in the heart of London’s iconic Piccadilly Circus 📸 pic.twitter.com/eQmpFAU7ij
— The FA (@FA) November 12, 2025
During the Euros event, organisers had unveiled the football tournament’s schedule and announced England would open at the Etihad before playing their final two group games at Wembley if they qualify directly.
They would play at Newcastle’s St James’ Park if they won Group B, before returning to Wembley for the rest of the tournament, with England’s national stadium set to host one quarter-final, both semi-finals and the final, which will be held on July 9.
The final was confirmed as a 5pm kick-off – three hours earlier than the Euro 2020 final at Wembley where chaotic scenes ensued outside the stadium as ticketless supporters tried to force entry.
Organisers said three million tickets would be made available for the matches, more than any previous European Championship, but there were no confirmed details on pricing at this stage.
